Improvement in cartridges



.To all whom it may concern: f'

UNITED SATES ,PATENT CF'FICE.

NATHANIEL GILBERT WHITMORE, OF MANSFIELD, MASS., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ALFRED A. REED, OF PROVIDENCE, R. I.

IMPROVEMENT CARTRIDGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 104,912, dated June 28, 1870.

Be it known that 1, NATHANIEL GILBERT WHITMORE, of Mansiield, in the county of -Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have in.

vented fa new` and useful Improvement in Carl tridge-Gases for Breech-Loadin g Fire-Arms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact, description, reference being had to the accom-g panying drawing, forming part of this specifi-g cation.

The object of the invention is to construct-y a cartridge-case for breech-loading iirearnis, mainlydesigned for the use of shot, which shall; provide, in a simple and convenient mannen? for the repriming of the cartridge-case for re-;

peated use, by facilitating the removal oi' ang exploded cap, and vallowing of the ready inser-v ,tion of a fresh cap or pellet; ,also whereby ai substantial construction of the ease is eii'ected.;

The invent-ion comprises a cartridge-case the tube or body of which is made either ofi metal or paper, 'or both combined, or other.,` suitable materials, with a chamber or cavity',E formed in the base end thereof, into which is; tted and secured, in any suitable manner, auf independent base-piece, preferably formed inl sections, riveted or soldered together, to make of the whole a disk or base that is not only provided with firing-apertures'through it, in communication with an aperture or apertures in the sunken base end ot' the case, or in a head fitted thereon, but has also opposite transverse cavities or passages in it, extending partially through itfrom its periphery, and accessible from the exterior of and in communication with the case, on opposite sides thereof, the one of said passages being of an enlarged size, to allow of the entry and removal of the cap, while the other is of smaller size, and serves to admit of the insertion of a needle or wire, to facilitate the extraction of an exploded cap.

The independent base or base-piece, thus formed and tted within an extension of the body of the case in rear of the end thereof, constitutes a cap-holder accessible from the exterior of the peripherical portion ofthe case or its extension, for insertion and removal of the caps.

L After a cap has been inserted within the drawing.

holder or base-piece, through the larger of the side openings in the case, into the larger cavity orpassagc in said base-piece, a pasteboard or other wad is introduced lthrough the same opening, and pressed down into ysaid cavity or passage, to hold the cap in its required position.

Having thus specified the object and nature of the invention, its description will be proceeded with in reference to the accompanying Figure 1 represents an exterior longitudinal view of a cartridge constructedv according to the invention, with its case made wholly ot' metal; Fig. 2, a ybase end view of the same;

Fig. 3, a central longitudinal section, taken as indicated by the line x x in Fig. l, and showing the cartridge as charged and loaded with small shot; Fig. 4, a transverse section, taken as indicated by the line y y in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal section of the case,

with its base-piece or cap-holder and chargev removed; Fig. 6, an outer face view of said base-piece or cap-holder detached, and Fig. 7 a section ofthe same through the line z z in Fig.

y6. Figs. S, 9, and l() arel face views of `separate plates or pieces ot' which the cap-holder is composed. Fig. l1 is an exterior longitudinal view of the cartridge, with the case made mainly of paper; and Fig. 12,acentrallongitu dinal section of the same, taken as indicated by the line w w in Fig. 1l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring, in the first instance, to the sev eral iigures, from 1 to 10, inclusive, A represents the case of the cartridge, formed of metal, and spun or otherwise made to comprise a base end, a, with a chamber, b, in the rear of it, formed, as it were, by an extension ofthe cylindrical body. Into this chamber or cavity b is fitted and secured in a permanent manner, by creasing the case or otherwise, an independent base-piece, B, constituting a priming-holder or cap-holder. This base-piece is made in plate-like sections or pieces, c, d, and e, riveted or soldered together, the irst or outer piece, c, being in the form of a ring.

The second or intermediate piece, d, has an open space or passage, f, in it, extending from v2 .y v 104.912

or around its center to the peri-phery'of said piece, and of a size suflicient to receive within it the priming in the shape of a cap or pellet, and the third or inner piece e, which, when the base-piece is in position within the case, lying against the base end a, is in the shape of a disk. An aperture or apertures, g, are drilled through this disk e and end a of the case, to communicate the tire from the cap or priming in the passage f of the cap-holder to the charge in the body. of the case.

The cap C, which maybe in the form of a thin metal case, isexposed to the action of the hammer or exploding device, throughy the ring c and central portion of the passage j"l in the. intermediate piece d. When the three pieces o, d, and e are riveted or otherwise secured together to form an entirety, the ring c i and disk e form sides to the passage or cavity f. An opening, h, is made through the case, corresponding with the outer endo? the cavity f, to provide for the insertion and removal of the cap, and an oppositely-arranged smaller aperture, s, drilled through thecase and piece d, establishing communication with the cavity f at its inner end, to provide for the insertion of a needle or wire, for the purpose of pushing out the exploded cap' from-the cavity f, and

through the opening h, in case of any sticking.v

After a cap has been inserted within the cavity f through the opening h, a pasteboard or other'wad, D, is introduced through the latter opening, and pressed down within the cavity f to hold the cap in its proper position within the holder B.

v A cartridge-case .thus constructed affordsevery convenence .for repriming for repeated use, and the construction is a substantial one.v

In Figs. 11 and-12 of the drawingessentially the same construction is shown; but the body A.

or mainy portion of the case A'is there represented as made of paper, with a metal end cap at its hase, to receive the cap-holder B within it, a hase end piece for the cap-holder to abut against here being dispensed with, and i said cap-holder and' paper case `being united by creasing the met-al end cap or otherwise.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

"1. A cartridge-case having an end or base provided with a priming or cap-holding cavity, extending partially through it from its periphery, and accessible lfrom the peripherical exterior of the case, in combination with firingapertures through the faces of said base, and

in communication with the charge in the shell,

. specified.

4. The case A, extended to form a rear chamber, b, and provided with a lateral opening, h, also, if desired, with an oppositely-arranged aperture, s, for communication with the interior of a base, B, arranged to fit within the rear chamber b, essentially as described. NATHAN IEL GILBERT WHITMORE.

Witnesses HENRY MARTIN, CHARLES SELDEN. 

